Chapter 280

In the theater, many emotional female audience members already had red eyes.

In fact, many people had already anticipated that there might be a tragic ending when the accident happened, but they always held onto hope. After all, for the past hour and a half, they had developed feelings for these two cute children, and they hoped they could be saved, looking forward to a so-called "happy ending."

But clearly, the heavy and cold iron door at the end was still firmly closed, declaring this tragedy that could not be changed, and the prisoner clothes outside the door silently told of that sinful history. This long shot was thought-provoking and quiet enough to be scary. The picture faded away with the piano sound, but the mood of the audience was hard to calm down.

"My god!"

"It's really too cruel!"

In fact, the whole film never had a bloody shot, but this film with children as the protagonists could grab the hearts of the audience without much rendering. It was a sad fairy tale performed with lies as the method, running through with optimism, but revealing an extremely strong pessimistic color and sense of substitution in the absurd style. This destruction after witnessing beauty gave the audience a huge impact and shock to their souls in the end.

When the film ended and the lights in the theater lit up again, a group of people led by Spielberg gave Wu Yuchen and this film long-lasting applause.

"Wu, this is really a great film! Seeing the two boys in the film reminded me of those Jewish children who died in Auschwitz like angels. The crimes of the Fascists are unforgivable!"

Wu Yuchen also tightly held the other party's hand: "Mr. Hughes, our Chinese nation also suffered from the ravages and persecution of Fascism during World War II, and I think we will have a lot of common language."

Wu Yuchen had already won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film with "Love." It wasn't that he didn't want it, but that he wanted more.

"Oh, Wu, we are close partners and very good friends. Of course, I and DreamWorks will try our best to help you! And 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' is a great film. I believe there will be no suspense for it to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film this year!"

"Among the many themes reflecting World War II, whether intense or paranoid, the perspectives are different. Some are known for being grand, and some are known for being strange. But when it comes to the naturalness of the story, the unique path to the impact on human nature, and the unforgettable mistakes, this 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' brought by Wu Yuchen is enough to shock people's hearts!

It perfectly reproduced that kind of accidental and extreme peace with a wonderful child's perspective, calmly touching everyone's heartstrings and triggering very profound thinking about war, thought, and human nature."

However, Wu Yuchen didn't stop there, but continued to say: "But what I want is not just a Best Foreign Language Film..."

The next day, media had already reported on Wu Yuchen's "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas":

"'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas,' Wu Yuchen's anti-war film is shocking!"

Wu Yuchen chatted with these people who came up to talk to him one by one, and it wasn't until a long time later that he sent everyone away one by one. And at this time, his inner mood was also somewhat fluctuating. Through the response of the premiere, he also had high expectations for this "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas."

"Wu Yuchen reveals China's Auschwitz!"

"Wu, you are really cruel! But this is really an amazing film! All tragedies and sins originate from war, from those who started the war, and from terrible extreme thoughts!"

"Yes! As long as war exists, it will inevitably be accompanied by tragedy and sin!"

This time, the public relations team for "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" used DreamWorks', and at this moment, Wu Yuchen was discussing it with Spielberg.

"'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' is pure and melancholy, just like the absurd giant blue sky and the emerald green lawn symbolizing life in the film.

In terms of set design and camera work, Wu Yuchen mostly used long shots and long shots with strong oppression, and there were mysteries hidden everywhere in the film. The cruel and cold concentration camp formed a sharp contrast with the innocent and cute children. From the boy's perspective, it uniquely interpreted the damage caused by war to human society and the emotional world, full of longing for a peaceful world."

"Steven, I want to get your help!"

Articles and films about "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" were released one after another. This was naturally the work of those film critics and reporters who watched the premiere yesterday. Of course, behind it was also Wu Yuchen's influence and the power of the film's public relations team.

"The most touching film of the year — 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'!"

"'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' — a black fairy tale."

Spielberg said this very firmly. Not only because of the excellent quality of the film itself and his confidence in the public relations team, but also because as Bush's White House continuously released news to the outside world about launching the Iraq War, the topic and trend of anti-war in Hollywood were becoming increasingly intense. This anti-war film was simply too timely!

"Thank you, Steven!"

Jackie Chan also came up and hugged Wu Yuchen tightly. After he let go of Wu Yuchen, he made a worship gesture to him and said: "Director Wu, I really want to worship you now! This film is too important for our Chinese nation! This is our nation's film!"

Seeing Jackie Chan, who revealed sincere emotions at this time, Wu Yuchen also grabbed his arm: "No need for this. Like you, I am a descendant of China. Isn't this what I should do?"

The film never spoke directly about cruelty and bloodiness, which didn't mean it intentionally avoided these problems, but that the child's eyes couldn't interpret them, and only through some details and hints did it convey the bloody coldness of that era..."

"I hope 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' can win a more significant award. This film is very important to me, and I hope you can understand!" Wu Yuchen said with a sincere expression and an earnest tone.

A more significant award? There were only a few that were more significant than Best Foreign Language Film: Best Actor and Best Actress, as well as Best Director and Best Picture.

After hearing this, Spielberg fell into thought. It was clearly unlikely for the Best Actor and Best Actress awards. Although a black Best Actor and Best Actress were born at the same time last year, everyone knew what that was about, and the black power in Hollywood was far stronger than the Asian power. It would take a long time for Asians to win Best Actor and Best Actress.

Then the remaining two awards were Best Director and Best Picture. And this made Spielberg fall into distress...

Spielberg was silent for a moment, then said to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, we are friends, so I will tell you some honest words. Do you know about 'The Pianist' that won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year?"

Wu Yuchen nodded: "I know, an anti-war film with very high reviews! Whether it's Polanski's directing or Adrien's performance, they are all great!"

Spielberg spread his hands: "Wu, just as I understand your feelings for 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas,' you must also understand that I am a Jew, and I cannot not support this film."

Even in Hollywood, where Jews hold major discourse power, Spielberg was also a core figure. He enjoyed the convenience brought to him by his ethnicity, so he inevitably had to bear the corresponding responsibilities.

As an excellent film shot by a Jewish director reflecting Jewish suffering, he inevitably had to stand up and support "The Pianist."

Wu Yuchen wasn't very surprised by Spielberg's attitude. He had long guessed this result, which was also why Wu Yuchen came to find Spielberg today to talk openly about this.

"The Pianist" was also an anti-war film, and it reflected Jewish suffering, which would undoubtedly hit the G-spot of Jews and gain the support of a large number of Jews. It would also be Wu Yuchen's biggest enemy at this year's Oscars because both films belonged to the same theme. In his past life, "The Pianist" successfully won the two major awards of Best Director and Best Actor this year, and it was an enemy Wu Yuchen couldn't bypass.

Wu Yuchen continued: "Steven, I admit that 'The Pianist' is a very excellent film, and it is very likely to be a strong contender for Best Picture this year. Polanski is also an excellent director... but do you think Polanski should win the Best Director award?"

Spielberg fell into silence again after hearing Wu Yuchen's words. If it were about directing ability, there was nothing worth questioning about Polanski, and he could even be called top-notch. But this guy had a super big black spot...

Roman Polanski's experience was legendary. He spent his childhood in a concentration camp, his mother died tragically in the concentration camp, and he escaped from the concentration camp with the help of a Pole, reuniting with his father many years later.

He showed the talent of a genius director in his early years. In 1962, he wrote and directed his first feature film, "Knife in the Water," which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 36th Academy Awards. In 1966, he directed the thriller "Cul-de-sac," which won the Golden Bear at the 16th Berlin International Film Festival. Over the next few decades, he also won many major awards and was a regular at the three major European film festivals.

But in 1977, Polanski had an indescribable relationship with a 13-year-old girl and committed an unforgivable mistake. He knew what consequences he would bear in America, so after being imprisoned for 42 days, he fled America on the eve of the verdict and then remained at large in Europe.

In fact, the controversy surrounding him wasn't just this "strong girl case," but also the cult murder case. His wife, who was 8 months pregnant, died in a cult murder, and he himself was the police's number two target.

Therefore, Polanski could be said to have a mixed reputation, and in the eyes of the public, he was actually a notorious figure. After all, whenever he was mentioned, he was accompanied by the label of "strong offender," and the target was a young girl. Think about whether ordinary people would have a good impression of such a person?

If Polanski were to win the Oscar for Best Director, Spielberg also knew how much public opinion pressure and controversy this would bring.

But in his past life, the Jews withstood such great pressure and the unanimous criticism from the outside world to forcefully push Polanski to Best Director, because this "The Pianist" was too much to their taste. One could imagine how great the influence of Jews in Hollywood was.

But now Wu Yuchen wanted to take this opportunity to disintegrate some of the internal power of the Jews led by Spielberg.

Wu Yuchen continued to look at Spielberg and said:

"Steven, 'The Pianist' is excellent, and it deserves Best Picture, but can Polanski win Best Director? If he is allowed to win Best Director, it might not add much glory to the Jews, but instead, it will let more people know that such a Jew is actually a 'strong offender' who is at large and enjoying privileges. Is this a benefit or a disadvantage to your ethnic group?"

Spielberg wasn't stupid. He naturally understood that Wu Yuchen's words made a lot of sense. But even so, he couldn't say anything about giving up "The Pianist" and turning to support "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas."

Subsequently, Wu Yuchen smiled at Spielberg again: "Hey, Steven, actually you don't need to be so nervous. Do you think 'The Pianist' can sweep all the major Oscar awards?"

"Hmm?"

Spielberg shook his head directly: "I'm afraid that's a bit difficult."

"Then why not concentrate your power a bit? You should know how much resistance Polanski will have to win Best Director and how much controversy it will bring, right? Instead of this, it's better to let the public relations of 'The Pianist' concentrate on Best Picture and Best Actor, letting people focus on the film itself. Isn't that better?"

Spielberg fell into entanglement. He understood Wu Yuchen's meaning: he wanted him to be the middleman, letting "The Pianist" focus on Best Picture, while "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" focused on Best Director.

As the core of Hollywood Jews, if Spielberg spoke up, he had the ability to be this middleman. But if he did this, it might make some people in the ethnic group dissatisfied with him. Is it worth it?

Spielberg looked up at Wu Yuchen again. The other party was at the height of his career, in a peak period of director creation. Not to mention anything else, just "Pirates of the Caribbean" alone brought how much profit to DreamWorks?

This time Wu Yuchen took the initiative to ask him for help, and Spielberg knew very well how much the other party valued this film. And the other party also said it very clearly: Polanski shouldn't win Best Director for emotional or rational reasons. If he didn't stand on his side this time, maybe the "Pirates of the Caribbean" project would be ruined!

If it were someone else, they might not be able to do it, but this guy Wu Yuchen was still a young man. A few years ago, he made such a fuss over the Oscars that he was at odds with Disney and Eisner. This time, he might also fall out with himself over the Oscars. The other party could really do something like indefinitely postponing the filming of "Pirates of the Caribbean"!

He knew that many large studios were flirting with Wu Yuchen now. It wasn't that Wu Yuchen couldn't leave their DreamWorks, but that DreamWorks couldn't do without Wu Yuchen!

Thinking of this, Spielberg hardened his heart. I have done enough for the Jews; I can't let myself lose money for the Jews! What can Polanski winning an award bring me? Let this strong offender go to hell!

Isn't it just losing a bit of prestige in the hearts of some relatively extreme Jews? For him, Spielberg, it's just a bit of wind and frost!

After considering it clearly, Spielberg revealed a kind and friendly smile to Wu Yuchen:

"Wu, I am not only a Jew, but also a filmmaker and your friend. Whether it's because of 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' or because of you, I will choose to stand on your side! I will fully support you in competing for Best Director!"